In celebration of Hanukkah, Chabad of Placer County will light an ice sculpture menorah on Sunday, Dec. 9 at Westfield Galleria at Roseville.

This public event is being held on the second night of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. Rabbi Yossi Korik, director of Chabad of Placer County, organized the lighting ceremony.

“The menorah serves as a symbol of Placer County’s dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly and with pride,” Korik said in a press release. “Specifically, in America, a nation that was founded upon, and vigorously protects, the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution, the menorah takes on profound significance, embodying both religious and constitutional principles.”

The local event is one of thousands of large public menorahs sponsored by Chabad throughout the world to spread the holiday’s message.

Hanukkah commemorates the Jewish people’s victory against Syrian Greeks more than 2,100 years ago who attempted to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and prohibit religious freedom.

The Greeks occupied Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, and desecrated and defiled the oils prepared for the daily lighting of the menorah. After the Jewish people recaptured the temple, they found one jar of oil left — enough to burn for a day. But, it ended up burning for eight days.

Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabrum called a menorah to symbolize hope, religious freedom and light over darkness.